I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to garments worn by joggers, cyclists, backpackers and other persons for the purpose of deterring assaults and kidnappings by an attacker, and more particularly to vests which contain a visual display of its purpose and a permanent dye which can be released by the wearer.
II. Description of Prior Art
Outdoor exercise for women has become an increasingly risky venture in recent years. Joggers, cyclists, and backpackers have frequently been the target of criminal activity in the form of assaults, rape, kidnapping and murder. Common to most of these attacks is the absence of hard evidence as to the identity of the assailant, because the outdoor environment renders the recovery .015 of hair samples and other forensic matter exceptionally difficult. Moreover, the attacks against women during outdoor exercise generally occurs while the woman is wearing very light clothing, making it difficult for the woman to carry protective equipment in the form of a gun, mace or other self-defense item. Consequently, the best ways for women to avoid becoming the victim of a violent attack are to: (a) deter the attacker from selecting the woman as a target at all, and (b) make the actual attack very difficult or undesirable for the attacker. As will be shown herein, the present invention satisfies both of these requirements in a manner that engenders confidence and security for the woman, and that does not interfere with the exercise activity.
Another troubling problem is that if an attack occurs, law enforcement officials may have a hard time locating the victim if she is either disabled or deceased. If the victim is still alive, time is of the essence in finding the person before further harm occurs. If the victim has been killed, recovery of the body as quickly as possible is essential to gathering time-sensitive evidence and pursuing the criminal. The ensuing description of the present invention will disclose how these situations can be resolved through a single well-designed garment.
Prior art safety garments for outdoor exercisers are numerous and widely variant as to their specific features. While the garment design can take many forms, such as a pair of shorts, a jacket, or even a belt or wrist band, the most common type of garment is a lightweight vest. For example, most vests used for this purpose are easily zipped or otherwise opened and closed in the front of the wearer or along the sides. They are usually light and xe2x80x9cbreathablexe2x80x9d in that the fabric contains holes for passage of air to keep the wearer from becoming overheated. Additionally, these vests typically employ bright colors, reflective surfaces or illumination devices so that they can be readily seen by persons in vehicles or rescue workers.
What is noticeably lacking in these garments are features which specifically address the problems with the aforementioned attacks. While reflective surfaces and bright colors may serve as a deterrent to some small degree, these garments can be removed by the assailant during or after an assault, making the garments worthless from an evidentiary standpoint. Furthermore, there is nothing to link the victim to a specific attacker if an assault does occur. What is needed, therefore, is a garment for joggers and other persons which can: (1) provide a visual cue to would-be attackers that any attack will encounter difficulties, (2) allow the wearer to activate an audible alarm and/or release a permanent dye onto the attacker that will connect the attacker to the crime, (3) assist in locating the victim through the use of a canine detectable scent, global positioning system (GPS) transmitter and/or sonar transmitter, and (4) preserve evidence needed for a conviction of the assailant through the use of fingerprints and dye stains.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a safety garment which serves as a visual deterrent to a physical assault.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a safety garment which enables the wearer to spray a permanent dye from the garment to prevent or shorten a physical assault.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a safety garment which includes a locating transmitter for detection by a sonic or GPS receiver.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a safety garment which includes an alphanumeric indicia for use with a registration system for tracking the wearer at all times.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the following description of the preferred embodiments which are contained in and illustrated by the various drawing figures.
Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, a garment for deterring a physical assault on a wearer and creating evidence of said assault, comprising a vest having a front portion and a rear portion, wherein said front and rear portions include a highly reflective surface; visual indicia affixed to said vest displaying that said vest may be used as evidence in a criminal investigation; a dye container affixed to said vest, wherein said dye container holds a releasable dye; and dye releasing means operatively connected to said dye container for causing a forceful ejection of said dye from said dye container upon actuation of said dye releasing means.
With respect to the vest itself, the front and rear portions of said vest are constructed primarily from a porous net material. The vest may include a removable hood, as well as a water-resistant and sealable pouch for carrying identification and other personal items. For use on cold days, the vest also optionally includes a removable, thermally insulated inner liner. Importantly, the vest preferably includes a visual indicia having the word xe2x80x9cEVIDENCExe2x80x9d or similar symbol prominently displayed on said vest, either on the front portion, the rear portion or both.
In more preferred embodiments, the garment further comprises an audible alarm affixed to said vest, and wherein said alarm is selectively actuated by said wearer. The garment may further include electronic locating means affixed to said vest for allowing said vest to be located. Also, the garment may further include a canine-detectable scent affixed to said vest, as well at least one fingerprint-susceptible surface thereon.
The most preferred dye for use with the invention is a permanent, luminescent, fast-drying and water-resistant dye. In one embodiment, the dye container includes a first dye chamber affixed to said front portion of said vest and a second dye chamber affixed to said rear portion of said vest, and wherein said first and second dye chambers each include an exit port which directs released dye away from said wearer. In an alternate embodiment, the dye container includes a dye tube at least partially encircling the waist of said wearer, wherein said dye tube includes a plurality of exit ports which direct released dye away from said wearer. Further, the dye releasing means preferably includes a pull cord extending from said dye container. Alternative dye releasing means may include a remote activator via infrared or radio transmitter, a pressure sensitive switch or pad, a sound-activated switch, or the use of a pressurized container, such as a CO2 cartridge.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the audible alarm is activated simultaneously by actuation of said dye releasing means. In one embodiment, the electronic locating means includes a sound transmitter activated by the actuation of said dye releasing means. In an alternate embodiment, the electronic locating means includes a global positioning system (GPS) transmitter. Also, for use of the vest within a registration system, the vest includes alphanumeric indicia corresponding to a specific wearer of said vest.